Arthur W. Barton

Arthur Willoughby Barton (14 September 1899 – 24 August 1976) was a noted headmaster, academic author and top-class football referee. He was educated at Nottingham High School and then Trinity College, Cambridge, after military service with the Royal Engineers. His father was Professor Edwin H Barton, FRS, Professor of Physics, University College, Nottingham.

He read Natural Sciences (Physics) taking Firsts in Parts I and II; in 1922, he was awarded First Class Honours in Physics in the London BSc examination. From 1922 to 1925 he was a research student at the Cavendish Laboratory (in Lord Rutherford's group).

He was Chief Physics Master at Repton School from 1926 until 1939, when Dr Fisher, later Archbishop of Canterbury, was headmaster. While at Repton he was awarded a doctorate from the University of London for a thesis in radioactive decay (the measurement of the half-period of Radium C).

In 1939, he was appointed headmaster of King Edward VII School, Sheffield (photo). From 1950 to 1965 he was headmaster of the City of London School.

Barton was the author of textbooks on heat and light, for example A text book on heat (ISBN B0000CLWRV).

He was a top-class football referee: he refereed the Semi-final between Austria and Poland in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, and was linesman in the 1936 FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Sheffield United.

In 1935 he married Alison Mary, second daughter of Colin Read Shaw.